BATTERY IDENTIFICATION AND CLASSIFICATION

James Neely2013 NAHMMA Northwest Regional Conference

• Standardized marking• Which batteries classify as

hazardous/dangerous waste• Age of batteries• Mercury content from

old/counterfeit batteries• Lithium coin vs alkaline button

cells

TOPICS

• The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) develops standards that contain standard marking requirements for batteries

• From IEC 60086-1:

STANDARDS

Most battery types will start with a two-letter code as developed by the IECPrimary Batteries

STANDARD NOMENCLATURE

Rechargeable Batteries

Letter Code ChemistryR* Carbon zincBR, CR, FR LithiumLR AlkalinePR, ZR Zinc airSR Silver oxide

Letter Code ChemistryHR Nickel metal

hydrideKR Nickel cadmium

*The R is common in all types and means cylindrical. The Carbon Zinc types contain only the R as they are referred to as the no-letter-system batteries.

Classification

Battery type Appearance Hazardous waste?

Alkaline May be cylindrical or button Not if low- mercury

Carbon Zinc Cylindrical No Mercuric-oxide button

Mercuric-oxide button batteries are not easily distinguished from other button batteries. Banned 1996. Yes

Silver-oxide button

Silver-oxide button batteries are difficult to distinguish from mercuric-oxide buttons. Yes

Zinc-air button Button No* Lithium May be cylindrical or button. Yes *May contain added mercury at low levels

Reputable batteries made after 1992/1993 are mercury free

How to tell? Batteries with metal labels (except 9V)

will be pre-1990 Batteries with green trees or other

environmental marking will be mercury free

More than 99% of batteries in the waste stream today are mercury free

Best if used-by dates Typically 5-7 years

MERCURY CONTENT / BATTERY AGE

Metal Label Plastic Label

Best if Used By

Date

The graph below represents the mercury content of batteries in parts per million in the waste stream as sampled at four US locations.

The weighted average for 2011 is 27.3 ppm.

MERCURY REDUCTION

• Counterfeits and Knockoffs are a concern but less so in North America

• They can contain mercury or be mislabeled (carbon zinc batteries posing as alkaline)

COUNTERFEITS

• 90% or more of lithium coin cells will be 20 mm or greater in diameter, while other chemistries tend to be smaller

• The best bet is the refer the CR/BR marking (lithium) vs the LR, PR or SR marking for the button types

• Nearly all button types will be 11.6 mm in diameter or less

LITHIUM COIN VS. BUTTON CELLS

ButtonLithium Coin

Mercury Free Button Batteries

• Alkaline types (including button cells) can get hot when sorted but do not pose a fire hazard

• Lithium batteries, due to risk of short circuit, can get hot and pose a risk of fire, especially coin cells

• Mixed cells (alkaline and lithium) can pose a fire hazard due to short circuit of the lithium types but the risk is substantially less than with exclusively lithium types

HAZARDS OF SORTED BATTERIES

Sorting is Half the Cost of Managing Batteries